Big Beaver, the Loveland craft brewery popular for its naughty-named beers and eco-friendly business model, will soon try its hand at the cider game.

Blown Spoke Hard Cider Co., a bicycle-themed cidery and part-time meadery, opens Aug. 3 at 2707 W. Eisenhower Blvd., in the space adjacent to Big Beaver. For those who aren't enticed by owner Peter Villeneuve's Bust-a-Nut Brown Ale, Wonder Weiner Wheat or any of the other 14 brews he keeps on tap, the cidery will be a welcome addition of options and flavors.

Villeneuve, a Colorado State University graduate, has been brewing beer since the mid-'90s, and opened Big Beaver in 2010. Initially a one-man-band, Big Beaver has gradually expanded, now offering a large tasting room, patio area and high-capacity brewing system. The cidery, he said, will be yet another amenity for his growing base of devotees.

"It's great for people with celiac disease, people who don't like gluten in their diet, or people who just don't want beer," said Villeneuve, 49, before noting his revulsion at gluten-free beer.

"I'll never go down that road," he said.

Blown Spoke will have 10 ciders on tap, featuring several varieties of the classic hard apple cider, plus flavored blends such as cranberry, passion fruit and pomegranate. For some of the flavors, including apple and cranberry, customers will be able to choose from several different levels of sweetness. The cidery won't use any additives or preservatives, and all of its fruit will be shipped from Michigan.

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Because of licensing obstacles, Blown Spoke and Big Beaver are separate entities, meaning that Villeneuve cannot allow drinking customers to meander between the two. He's hopeful, however, that the law will foster a sense of community.

"People will just have to talk to one another," he says.

Part of Big Beaver's communal flavor ties into a commitment to sustainable packaging, which Villeneuve intends to continue at Blown Spoke. The company deals only in reusable pint-glasses and growlers, refusing to can or bottle any of its product. The new cidery will encourage this practice by offering swing-top bottles for take-home use.

The brewery's absence on store shelves hasn't damaged business a bit, said marketing director KatiLyn VanNossdall.

"People will come here and fill their growlers instead of going to the liquor store and buying a six-pack," the 25-year-old said. "It's a great community to try to start something like this."

VanNossdall said customer loyalty is strong enough that she's now redeeming more than 80 buy-10-get-one-free cards every week. She attributed much of that to word-of-mouth: "That's our best and most flattering form of advertising."

For the time being, Blown Spoke will open only on Saturdays, though Villeneuve is confident that his Midwestern sensibility and superior product will soon change that.

"I grew up in Wisconsin, where beer was basically a soft drink," he said. "Here, it's much different. People want quality, and we have it."